Messages

31

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: COMMUNICATION: Posting contact sheets on the call board?

« on: Apr 17, 2014, 05:03 pm »

I always e-mail the contact list to the people who need it (actors, designers, directors) and print hard copies for my staff and my director. Occasionally an actor will ask for a hard copy and I'll give it to them. This only has their phone number and e-mail address on it - and only IF the actors/designers/etc agree that it's okay to share that information. And I (along with directors and producers) am the only person to have immediate access to physical addresses.

The SM I am currently working for distributes hard copies of phone numbers and e-mail addresses on the first day of rehearsal to absolutely everyone associated with the show - from the Artistic Director through the lowest intern. On this past show, that was nearly 40 contact sheets, including the sheet of all of our work extensions...
On closing day, she distributes another contact sheet updated with physical addresses (or next addresses for the ones who go straight into another show). This only includes the actors, directors, and people who were in the process of the run of the show (including run crew). It seems a bit much.

32

Students and Novice Stage Managers / Re: E-mail Management

« on: Apr 13, 2014, 06:04 pm »

I keep and archive EVERYTHING. Every single e-mail that comes along in the process of putting up and maintaining shows gets archived in my Gmail. If you can, I would also suggest downloading everything into a folder and keeping it with any other show files - OR printing, dating, and signing each one (very tedious) and keeping it with your book.

I just went through and deleted show e-mails from my junior year of college - five years later - because (a) most people barely remember that show happened and (b) I think 5 years is just about the limit for people caring to file lawsuits.

33

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: POLICIES: Actors TOO Early for Call?

« on: Apr 13, 2014, 05:48 pm »

You'd think that in a city as big as this one, they'd do that... And with as beautiful as it's been the past few weeks, surely they can go to one of the local parks or something.

Thanks all. Just wanted to see if there was anything "official" to do, other than just telling them no. With all of the other casts we've had, they've understood that when the Stage Door is locked, you shouldn't come in yet.

34

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: POLICIES: Actors TOO Early for Call?

« on: Apr 13, 2014, 05:19 pm »

The concern is that there is nobody actually in the auditorium/dressing room areas when they arrive, and they are hardly consistent about who is the first (or last) to arrive and when. The administrative offices are only open until 5:30, so if there happens to be somebody left that can open for them, great, but that actual show staff is not.

It's more of an annoyance than an actual "problem," though administration has made it clear that somebody (i.e. a member of the crew) should be in the auditorium when any actors are in the building - especially if they are not using the Stage Door (which only a few of us have the code to unlock for the actors).

It makes it difficult for us to know who is coming in and out of the building when there have been security issues in the past, and adds stress to the crew (who are already usually decently early) to try to be ahead of the actors.

35

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / POLICIES: Actors TOO Early for Call?

« on: Apr 13, 2014, 03:24 pm »

This may seem like a weird problem to have, but what do you do when actors are arriving too early for their call? I appreciate that actors are early, but when they're starting to arrive at the theatre before the SM and ASM, it makes me wonder what our duties are.

Our current call schedule (for an 8pm show) looks like this:

6pm SM/ASM call
6:15 Stage Door Open
6:30 Cast Warm-Up (a Director mandate)
7:00 Fight Call
7:30 House Open
8:00 GO

Now, most days it isn't a huge problem as there is Wardrobe crew, Box Office, or other administrators around to let the cast in. But on matinee days, the SM and I (the ASM) are usually the first people at the theatre, or are arriving at the same time as the Box Office. For example, today I was 15 minutes early for my call (11:45), and there was already an actor waiting at the Stage Door.

It makes everybody on the management team uncomfortable when actors are there before we are, even when we're early. But how do you tell them to wait until Stage Door is supposed to open (which, I believe, is still "early" by Equity standards) without sounding like a giant D-Bag?

36

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: REHEARSAL: Tension in Rehearsals

« on: Apr 11, 2014, 05:34 pm »

As an ASM, I've been working for a company that has a Resident SM who feels strong ownership of the space and is quick to call people (including directors) on moments that are unproductive to rehearsal. When things get tense, she will almost always call a ten and make everybody leave the rehearsal space, even if it's just to a lobby, dressing room, whatever. Then, while she deals with the person who has caused the issue, I check in with everybody, to make sure that they all have what they need and are going to be okay for the rest of rehearsal.

I think this tactic works very well - especially making them get out of the space with the negative energy, which also makes people step away from one another.

If it continues to be an issue, is there a Producer/Artistic Director you can talk to if you don't feel comfortable speaking one-on-one with the Director. A negative rehearsal room quickly becomes toxic, and it's best if everybody can feel safe and able to work.

(Also: I always keep 2-3 stress balls in my kit. If I see somebody starting to tweak, I toss one their direction.)

37

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: SCHEDULING: How much information do you give actors?

« on: Sep 29, 2013, 11:49 am »

We work under the assumption that all rehearsals will be all-calls.
Following each rehearsal, the director and I work out the next day's schedule, and I immediately e-mail it out to all cast members. If we anticipate staying in one scene but may potentially move on, we put actors on standby, with the understanding that we have to give them at least an hour's notice before they have to be at rehearsal.

And, as others have said, sticking to an hour-by-hour breakdown, even at the most professional level, is nearly impossible... It is better to only give them detailed schedules the day before, rather than have them anticipate getting to something that is then not reached.

38

College and Graduate Studies / Re: What can students do to get into a SM job faster and stay in it longer?

« on: May 03, 2013, 04:13 pm »

I have JUST finished my grad school program and have JUST gone through the interview process with some very large, respectable Theatres across the US, despite only having about 8 SM credits on my resume. Most of them commented that they were impressed with the following:

1) Working with more than one non-educational theatre setting. I've done a bit of summer stock, a few community theatre productions, and a little bit of semi-professional work. It shows that you're dedicated to the field and that you're not applying on a whim.
2) Having another job to support yourself. Starting out, it isn't easy to support yourself through theatre alone. By showing that you're capable of holding down a second job, it shows dedication and perseverance.
3) Related work and classes: Apart from SMing, my primary job for the past two years has been as a set assistant in a small theatre company. There, I've worked on construction, painting, lights, sound, and video elements, as well as some props work. But I've also had classes in directing, costumes & makeup, and acting, AND I have a few PR and design credits on my resume, too. These show that you're willing to learn whatever it takes to become the best SM you can, and each thing you learn enables you to communicate effectively with departments in rehearsal reports and in person. You can't help solve a problem if you don't know how to articulate it, and if you aren't able to help brainstorm possible solutions. [That being said, you also have to know when to not "butt in." SMs sometimes have to take the backseat and let the conversation happen around them.]
4) A strong cover letter. Even if your resume isn't that impressive, they might take a look at your cover letter.
5) Strong letters of reference. I know you can't assure that they ARE going to be strong, but picking the right people as references is very important. And it might be different depending on the job and the location of the job.

Hope this helps!

39

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: CALLING: Using shape templates for creating calling scripts

« on: Nov 18, 2012, 11:26 am »

I do something like this for my calling scripts - I usually circle my warning and square my Go, but I still make sure to differentiate what is being warned in both color and notation.

i.e. My sound warnings are usually notated in red as SQ-R (circled), with SQ-R-GO in a square.
My light warnings are usually notated in blue as L-117 (circled) with L-117-GO in a square.
etc.

Although I have never seen anybody else do it this way, it keeps me in line with everything. Plus, I have a key at the beginning of my book in case anybody ever has to call from my script for some reason or another.

40

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: SHOWS: Little Shop of Horrors - Puppeteers/Training

« on: Jan 10, 2012, 11:07 pm »

I actually did Little Shop as an actor a few years ago, as the voice of Audrey II. We had one puppeteer for the baby AII, Seymour does the second incarnation, a second puppeteer as the third (The "Feed Me" AII), and three running the huge AII. The two smaller puppeteers did the arms/vines, and the strongest performed the mouth/body.

All of our puppeteers were (essentially) untrained technicians, but the two puppeteers for number 3 and 4 were also used as ensemble for Skid Row scenes.

We only used the puppets for about two or three weeks before opening. However, we did have several Audrey II-only rehearsals learning the basic movements of the puppets. The hardest puppet to learn was actually Number 4, because of its size and the strength required for it.

These rehearsals were mostly rehearsals added onto the schedule.

Break legs!

41

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / PEOPLE: Experienced ASM with inexperienced SM?

« on: Jan 10, 2012, 10:58 pm »

I am an experienced SM in an MA program. Before we are allowed to SM for the department, we have to ASM one of their shows. My problem lies in that I have SM'ed 4 full-length shows (2 of which I did professionally), and ASMed about 4 others, but my SM has only ever ASMed one show (at the university). She did not receive proper training as an ASM, and is very unprepared for the job she is now doing. In fact, she is almost clueless.

I feel awkward telling her how I've done things (or things I've learned from other SMs), but her process is tedious and inefficient, and creates a lot of busy work for me and her other ASMs (there are three others, but I'm bearing the brunt of the ASM work, it seems).

How do I help guide her, without making it seem like I'm trying to overstep my duties as ASM? Or do I let it slide and remind myself that it's just a play for our university, and merely another learning opportunity for me?

42

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: communicating who is called for a rehearsal

« on: Aug 15, 2011, 02:00 pm »

I think everybody has had good comments so far.
As to the actor who thought he had a weekend off - when I SM community theatre shows, I expect actors to know all rehearsal times and be aware that they may be called, unless they have specifically given me more than 48 hours notice that they cannot be at a rehearsal that they are not called for. Otherwise, I expect them to check e-mails/online callboards/Facebook/texts (yes, I do them all!) to know that they are supposed to be at rehearsal.

And yes, it does appear that the director is more than stepping on your toes - he has completely taken your shoes. If trying to get him to sit down with you isn't working, is there an Executive Director or Producer you can talk to in order to straighten everything out? Or call an emergency (though I hate that word) Production Meeting with all of the Directors/Choreographers/Producers and yourself in order to sort all rehearsal calls?

Best wishes, and let us know how everything works out!

43

Tools of the Trade / Re: Information access barriers

« on: Mar 12, 2011, 07:19 pm »

I agree with the folks who have suggested Facebook groups. I create a group for every show that I direct (for student-run shows) or SM. It's a very easy way to quickly distribute information. I always set them up as closed groups, so the only people who can even see the group exists are people who are in the group. Depending on your subscription levels, anything that is posted on the group wall can be immediately sent via e-mail to all members. You can also send group messages. Anytime any activity happens on the group, you also get a notification on the sidebar of Facebook telling you that something has happened (and if you're OCD like me, you'll probably click on it and see what it was just to make the number go away). It's also a quick and easy way to introduce actors/staff to each other before the show starts production (depending on how casting works).

The one downside to this is - I now work outside of the University setting too. While many people are on Facebook, there are many who either are not, or who are under aliases that they may not want certain people to know. I encourage them to join Facebook for the time of the show (and some stay around after, too). If they prefer not to join, I keep them updated via e-mail and/or text. I tend to e-mail everything I post in the group anyhow, just so I'm covering all of my bases (and so that nobody can say they didn't see it. It's impossible to miss it in your e-mail, on your Facebook, AND on your phone).

I've heard of school groups setting up listservs and wikis on BlackBoard and Desire2Learn... but I have not used one myself. I know there are document servers on most of them, so that actors don't have an excuse to not see the schedule (and it's always there to go back to and look at again). Most of these use campus e-mail addresses/logins that are already made and activated.

It is my understanding that not all Google Sites are visible to everyone. I know my personal webpage is visible to the world. Are there ways to create pages that are only accessible to people who have the URL? If so, I'd REALLY like to create one that I can upload all of my schedules, etc. to, so that way I know only the people who need them have access to them.

44

Tools of the Trade / Re: Favorite Bag

« on: Mar 09, 2011, 03:02 pm »

The last show that I SM'd, I was running straight from classes to rehearsals (or vice-versa some days), so the majority of my equipment found a home in my backpack, with my kit in a large plastic tub (I've recently upgraded) that stayed in the student office at the theatre.
However, I recently attended a conference where every participant was given a bag full of goodies. The bag is 20" deep, and 6"x12" on the bottom. It is AMAZING (and lime green!). I'm now using it to tote my laptop and my rehearsal script around in, as well as some essential kit materials. I especially love it because nobody can possibly walk away with it without me noticing. Lime green is not an easy color to mask...

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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Re: ESCRIPTS: Post your requests for electronic scripts here!

« on: Mar 07, 2011, 11:00 pm »

Hi,
Just got hired as the SM for The 25th Annual... Spelling Bee for the summer. Wondering if anyone has an escript they'd be willing to share?

Thanks!
phil